You're staring at your phone or the Sunday paper, and there it is: put up. Five letters. Or maybe seven. Perhaps even three. It’s one of those clues that makes you want to toss your pen across the room because it could literally mean twenty different things depending on the mood of the constructor. Honestly, it’s a classic "chameleon" clue.
Crossword puzzles aren't just about knowing facts; they’re about understanding the weird, flexible gymnastics of the English language. When you see a put up crossword clue, you aren't looking for a synonym. You’re looking for a specific context. The phrase "put up" is what linguists call a phrasal verb, and in the world of the New York Times or the LA Times crossword, phrasal verbs are the ultimate traps. They can be nouns, verbs, or even adjectives if the constructor is feeling particularly devious.
The Many Faces of Put Up in Crosswords
The biggest hurdle is that "put up" doesn't have a single home. Think about it. If you put up a fight, you RESIST. If you put up a building, you ERECT it. If you put up a guest for the night, you HOUSE them or LODGE them. See the problem? The word count is your only real North Star here.
I’ve seen this clue appear in the NYT Crossword hundreds of times. According to databases like XWord Info, which tracks every single clue and answer in the NYT since the 1940s, "put up" has resulted in answers ranging from POSTED to CANNED. Yeah, canned. Like peaches. Because when you preserve food, you "put it up" for the winter. It’s a bit old-fashioned, but crossword creators love that kind of linguistic nostalgia.
Short Answers (3 to 4 Letters)
If the grid only gives you three spaces, you’re likely looking at SET. As in, "he set up the tent" or "he put up the tent." It’s short, it’s punchy, and it’s a very common filler in the corner of a puzzle.
Four letters? Look toward STOW. If you put something up in the attic, you stow it. Or maybe ANTE. This is a favorite for Will Shortz. In a poker game, when you "put up" your share of the money to start the hand, you ANTE. It’s a sneaky way to use a gambling term without explicitly mentioning cards in the clue itself.
Why Context is Everything
You have to look at the crossing words. That’s Crossword 101, but with a put up crossword clue, it’s mandatory. If you have an "E" as the second letter, you might be looking at LEND. "Put up the money" can translate to lending it, though that’s a bit of a stretch in some dictionaries. More likely, it's ERECT.
Wait, let's talk about ERECT. It’s the gold standard for this clue. Construction is a massive theme in puzzles. If the clue is "Put up, as a skyscraper," you can almost bet your morning coffee that the answer is ERECT. But what if the clue is "Put up with"? That completely changes the game. Now you’re looking for ABIDE, BROOK, STAND, or TOLERATE. The addition of that one tiny word—"with"—shifts the meaning from physical construction to emotional endurance.
The Most Common Answers for Put Up
Let's break down the heavy hitters. These are the answers that show up most frequently in major publications like the Wall Street Journal or the Washington Post puzzles.
ERECT
This is the most frequent. It fits five-letter slots perfectly. It’s clinical, it’s accurate, and it’s a favorite of constructors like Rex Parker or Brendan Emmett Quigley.
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POSTED
Think about a "No Trespassing" sign. You put it up. You POSTED it. This six-letter variation often catches people off guard because they’re thinking about buildings or patience, not physical signs.
CANNED
As mentioned earlier, this is the rural, domestic version of the clue. If you see "Put up, as preserves," this is your winner. It’s a great example of how crosswords test your cultural vocabulary, not just your dictionary knowledge.
NOMINATE
This one is for the longer slots. If you put someone up for an award, you NOMINATE them. This is an eight-letter beast that often appears in mid-week puzzles when the difficulty starts to ramp up.
HOUSE
"We can put you up for the night." Basically, we can HOUSE you. It's simple, but when you're looking for a five-letter word and you’ve already got "ERECT" in your head, "HOUSE" can feel invisible.
The Devious Nature of Phrasal Verbs
English is a nightmare for non-native speakers and crossword solvers alike because of things like phrasal verbs. A phrasal verb is just a verb plus a preposition or adverb that creates a meaning you can't always guess by looking at the individual words. "Put" is the king of these.
Think about the difference:
- Put out: To extinguish or annoy.
- Put off: To delay.
- Put on: To wear or deceive.
- Put up: To build, stay, or provide.
When a crossword constructor uses a put up crossword clue, they are intentionally exploiting this ambiguity. They want you to cycle through every possible prepositional meaning. It’s a mental workout.
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I remember one puzzle where the clue was simply "Put up." The answer turned out to be BUNG. Like, to bung something up? It was a British-leaning puzzle, and it felt totally unfair at the time. But that’s the beauty of it. You’re learning the fringes of the language.
Strategies for Nailing the Clue Every Time
Don't just guess. That’s how you end up with a messy grid and a lot of eraser shavings. Instead, try these steps.
First, check the tense. Is the clue "Put up" or "Puts up" or "Putting up"? Crossword rules are strict: the answer must match the tense of the clue. If the clue is "Puts up," the answer will likely end in an "S," like ERECTS or POSTS. If it’s "Putting up," look for an "ING" ending like HOUSING.
Second, look for a "tag." If the clue says "Put up (Var.)", you know the spelling is going to be weird or British. If it says "Put up, in a way," the constructor is telling you they’re being cheeky or using a metaphor.
Third, look at the theme of the puzzle. Is the puzzle about construction? Is it about cooking? Is it about politics? The theme often dictates which version of "put up" is being used. If the title of the puzzle is "Under Construction," and you see put up crossword clue, go with ERECT or BUILD immediately.
Common Misconceptions
A lot of people think the most obvious answer is the right one. In a Monday puzzle, maybe. But as the week progresses toward Saturday, the clues get "crunchier."
One big misconception is that "put up" always means "to build." Honestly, it’s just as often used to mean "to provide money." PROVIDE is a seven-letter answer that fits this perfectly. Another one is STAGED. If you put up a play, you STAGED it. If you're a theater geek, this is obvious. If you're a contractor, you're stuck thinking about drywall.
The Semantic Shift
Over time, the way we use "put up" has changed. In the early 20th century, "putting up" almost always referred to food preservation or physical labor. Today, we "put up" with social media trolls or "put up" a new post on Instagram.
Crossword constructors are usually older or very well-read, so they often lean into the older definitions. This is why you see CANNED or JARRED more often than you might expect. If you're under 30, you might never use the phrase "putting up peaches," but you better know it if you want to finish the Saturday New York Times.
Final Tactics for Your Next Puzzle
The next time you encounter a put up crossword clue, don't panic. Take a breath. Count the letters.
- 3 letters: SET
- 4 letters: ANTE, STOW
- 5 letters: ERECT, HOUSE, ABIDE, BROOK
- 6 letters: POSTED, STAGED, RAISED
- 7 letters: PROVIDE, TOLERATE
- 8 letters: NOMINATE
If you're still stuck, look for the vowels. Crosswords are built on a skeleton of A, E, I, O, and U. If you have an "O" in the second position of a six-letter word, POSTED is looking very likely. If you have an "E" in the first position of a five-letter word, it’s almost certainly ERECT.
Crosswords are a game of pattern recognition and lateral thinking. The put up crossword clue is a masterclass in both. It forces you to think about the word "put" not as a simple action, but as a gateway to dozens of different concepts.
Don't let it frustrate you. Treat it like a riddle. Every time you solve one, you’re training your brain to see the world not just as it is, but as it could be described in a dozen different ways.
Next time you open your favorite puzzle app, keep this list in your back pocket. You'll find that what used to be a point of frustration becomes a quick "aha!" moment that helps you clear the rest of the corner.
Practical Next Steps:
- Check the letter count first; it's your most reliable filter for phrasal verbs.
- Match the tense of the clue (e.g., "Puts up" needs an "s" ending).
- Scan the cross-clues specifically for vowels that can confirm or rule out "ERECT" or "POSTED."
- Consider the "food" angle if the puzzle feels old-fashioned or refers to "preserves."